Despite a career-high 30 points from junior guard Connor Cashaw, the Rice men’s basketball team dropped the seventh game of their last eight as the University of North Texas defeated Rice on Saturday, 85-78.

How does the typical Rice freshman spend their time? Probably a healthy(ish) mix of skillful procrastination, stressing out at Fondy, and finding out how much free food it takes to no longer want free food. But if you’re Joel Abraham, you’ve added one major accomplishment to a unique freshman experience: You’ve co-founded a startup, and have investors already knocking at your door.

At first, the Rice University Emergency Medical Services faced skepticism over whether it would be a substantial asset to the campus, given that it sits right across the street from the largest network of hospitals in the world. A Jan. 26, 1996 article in the Thresher — almost four months after REMS had been established — said that “some questions have been raised about the overall benefits to the Rice community.” At the time, REMS still lacked university funding.

The newest addition to Rice Public Art, Jarrod Beck’s “Origin, 135 degrees,” probably took you by surprise last semester during your regular walks through the academic quad. The sheer mass of the sculpture alone has greatly altered the treed path that passes by Sewall and Rayzor Halls.

“Before Watergate, there was the Pentagon Papers.” This was the first sentence of the summary for a screenplay, titled “The Post,” on the 2016 Black List, an annual compilation of the movie industry’s best unproduced scripts. The story follows the Washington Post’s role in revealing a damning classified study about the Vietnam War to the public. Written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer and directed by paragon Steven Spielberg, “The Post” milks its timeliness and tells how one woman’s bravery led to a major First Amendment victory for America’s journalists.

“Black Mirror.” Whether you’ve watched the gripping series or not, you’ve definitely heard about it. With a new season released on Netflix on Dec. 29, “Black Mirror” is all people can talk about this new year — and for all the right reasons. The series, created back in 2011, takes place in the future, where technology is more advanced and usually comes with a price. The title itself reflects on humans’ obsession with electronics, as staring at a black screen of a device acts as a “black mirror.” This fixation reveals a dark reflection of mankind, whether it’s murder, exploitation or manipulation, all done by the hand of technology. Most importantly, “Black Mirror” brings important social commentary to the stage. Although the series is captivating for its disturbing content in a fictitious world, this world is not as far out as it may seem. “Black Mirror” could be the future of our world, where technology is already overpowering and getting more and more complex. And perhaps that is why the series is creating such an enormous buzz — within it hides the terrifying truth about our future.

Housing and Dining has fined students at Will Rice College $200 per room for disabling the door closing mechanisms, which has sparked fears of a crackdown on door propping and “carding” (preventing automatic locking) at other colleges.

All too often, I see my peers discourse about important issues with jargon and buzzwords that sound nice but don’t explain their viewpoints. We talk and write about “oppression,” view things as “problematic” or “complicated,” and use buzzwords like “intersectionality” or “patriarchal.” When attending rallies or reading articles, we constantly hear “disrupt the system,” “engender a mindset shift” or “smash oppressive structures in society.”

We are overwhelmingly thankful to attend Rice University. After three and a half years, we have learned, grown and experienced more than we ever dreamed was possible. Additionally, we could not be more different. Albert is an economist from Russia, and Margaret is a chemical engineer from Tennessee. However, we’ve been brought together by a shared feeling of privilege to attend this university in both senses of the word: privileged because it has been an incredible experience and honor to attend this university, and privileged because it is only due to the generosity and kindness of those who came before us that we have been able to attend Rice. Our shared gratitude led us to volunteer for the Annual Fund, which was unfortunately misrepresented three separate times (article, editorial and cartoon) in last week’s Thresher. So let’s take a step back, check the facts and reflect on why philanthropy, why the Annual Fund and ultimately, why Rice.

Over the fall 2017 semester, the Office of Information Technology made improvements to on-campus Wi-Fi, and is seeking student feedback as it prepares to make even more improvements, according to Mike Dewey, director of campus services for the OIT.

As students at Will Rice College returned from winter break, many found themselves charged with substantial fines and stuck with room doors that swing shut behind them. At other colleges, Housing and Dining checked for carded doors and disseminated warnings, according to students.

Students commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. day by participating in two parades and organizing a vigil, but some raised concerns about Rice’s commitment to diversity after riding in a float one student called “dilapidated” and noting the vigil in the Rice chapel was not attended by President David Leebron.

A fake advertisement published by The Rice Thresher’s satirical Backpage last week with the title “Guilt-Free MLK Day Pass” received national attention after outlets including Fox News, Inside Higher Ed and The Blaze covered controversy surrounding it.

In the Jan. 10 print edition of the Rice Thresher, our popular satirical “Backpage” consisted of a series of fake advertisements that looked to poke fun at different events going on at Rice and in the world at large. One of these “ads” (see image below), relating to the upcoming holiday of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, has attracted criticism from some individuals on social media; earlier today, in an apparent response, Rice University published a statement on its Twitter account stating that Rice is "disappointed w/this offensive attempt at satire."

Every year, the Rice Annual Fund solicits donations from students for the Rice Owls Give Back campaign. One reason is to foster a “tradition” of giving back; another is to measure student satisfaction and boost the school’s ranking. Many students, however, aren’t sure why they should donate in addition to the thousands in tuition they already pay. Instead, they are often pressured into coughing up a dollar or two. Contrary to how the program is often portrayed, the amount of money raised only about equals the amount spent to encourage donations.

There is a strange and frustrating feeling of detachment when your art is taken out of your possession. This was something I learned last semester, when the emcees at Camp Kesem’s Mr. Rice event pointed out Mr. Brown’s auction poster — a large, laminated print of a photo I took, processed, and edited — and praised it. “This is art!” they said. “Support student artists and bid for this poster!” The unfortunate irony was that, throughout the many weeks Camp Kesem used student photography for this event, they never gave credit to the photographers involved. The only reason the word “art” even entered the conversation that night was because Mr. Brown took the opportunity to speak up and stand up for student artists. But, while he was genuine, the others were not intentional with their words, and they were completely missing the point.